State govt can do more to save Penang House of Music, says former MP

A POLITICIAN, who is also a skilled guitarist, has stressed that the Penang government can do more to save the Penang House of Music (PHOM), the iconic museum cum research centre located in Komtar, after its operator disclosed plans to close down later this year due to financial shortcomings.

Former Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun, who is now the Penang Warisan chief, said that the facility is a beacon that represents Malaysian musical heritage, which gives great care to highlight the contributions and performances of the country’s music personalities and traditions.

Featuring Malay, Eurasian, Chinese and Indian singers, composers and players throughout the decades, the PHOM has taken great pains to highlight a sizeable facet of the local musical scene and thus should be preserved or rescued, he said.

Ooi said that the DAP-led state government can do more such as by placing the PHOM under a government-linked agency or continue subsidising its operating costs.

PHOM founder Paul Augustin said that despite the promise of an annual grant of RM500,000 from the state after its original sponsor, the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP), stopped its funding, the funds were at best inconsistent in being sent in.

It resulted in an accumulation of arrears from unpaid rental and an ensuing court case filed by the company managing the space in Komtar to seek backdated payments.

Augustin said that the financial shortfall was unfortunate and although PHOM appreciated the help from the state, the monetary help rendered was simply inadequate due to the delay in handing over the funds to them.

Ooi also registered his support for another guitarist politician, Syerleena Abdul Rashid, who is DAP’s Bukit Bendera MP, for openly backing calls to save PHOM from closure.

Former Kebun Bunga assemblyman Jason Ong Khan Lee said that PHOM deserves to be helped as it was originally formed with the blessings and support from the state, which provided the space at Komtar through PBAPP.

There is a need to make it more sustainable so that it can stand on its own without subsidy. This is the challenge which the authorities must aim for, said Ong.

The same applies to other attractions and government-linked projects which the state has previously set up or supported, Ong added.

Last Monday, musicians from Penang and Kuala Lumpur, including legends from the 1970s and 1980s, gathered at the PHOM to show their support with live performances.

They also met state tourism executive councillor Wong Hon Wai to plead for state intervention to safeguard the PHOM due to its standing as an institution in the local music scene.

The musicians, including old household names such as Memories and Alleycats, gathered with veterans like Bonnie Jeramiah for the occasion.

Set up in 2016 with a RM3 million funding from PBAPP, the Penang House of Music has been struggling to sustain its operations with limited and inconsistent funding from the state, with the main blame attributed to the Covid-19 lockdown which paralysed its operations.

The PHOM is listed by CNN as one of the 25 must-visit places in Penang. – The Vibes, February 25, 2024.